Time to ditch that Ford Ranger or Toyota LandCruiser! Your next 4WD tourer should be a truck | Opinion

Your next off-road adventure machine should be a truck.

Light-duty and heavy-duty trucks have long been considered appealing options as adventure vehicles for many reasons.

They offer greater flexibility in terms of payload and gross combined mass than mainstream 4WD wagons and utes, and trucks needn’t sacrifice anything in terms of all-round driveability, especially off-road capability.

Read More About Iveco Daily

Should you swap your Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux for a light duty truck? Isuzu says the N Series is a better bet than utes for tradies Can't be bothered waiting for a new Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux? Isuzu's N-Series trucks might be safer for work anyway Iveco Daily E6 2022 review: cab chassis load test

And some trucks only require a standard car driver’s licence to operate.

So, here are a few trucks that might just be perfect as your next off-road adventure machine.

Light-duty and heavy-duty trucks offer greater flexibility in terms of payload and gross combined mass.

Isuzu N trucks

Isuzu is well established as a major player in the light- and heavy-duty truck market.

Its N Series light-duty trucks are best sellers as work trucks, and are better suited to gravel tracks and muddy job sites than being modified into full-blown touring vehicles, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them.

Isuzu trucks are renowned for being easy to operate, comfortable and robust, and they’re used as support vehicles by rural bushfire brigades, among other emergency duties.

Isuzu reckons the trucks in its N Series Ready to Work range can each carry about a tonne more than a regular ute, and most of those trucks only require a standard car licence to drive.

There are numerous N Series variant combinations from which to choose, including single-cab, dual-cab (crew), traypack, tipper, tradepack, vanpack and service pack variants.

For the sake of research, we went online to the Isuzu Trucks website and narrowed our search down from the many variants to a truck that was crew cab, 4x4 and had a GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 4500kg, and the website swiftly came up with five suitable variants.

Isuzu is well established as a major player in the light- and heavy-duty truck market.

The NLS 45-150 AWD and NLS 45-150 AWD Crew each have a GCM (gross combined mass) of 8000kg. Both have a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, producing 110kW at 2800rpm and 375Nm at 1600-2800rpm. Those aren’t particularly big figures on paper, but these trucks manage what they have supremely well and have plenty of grunt across a good spread of revs.

These trucks have a five-speed manual gearbox and on-demand part-time all-wheel drive.

Even better suited to being transformed into off-grid adventure machines are Isuzu’s bigger, more powerful and more expensive NPS trucks.

For instance, the NPR 65/45-190 and the NPR 65/45-190 Crew each has a GVM of 6500kg and a GCM of 10,000kg. But, remember, with any of the trucks, your payload will ultimately depend on how heavy the tray/custom camper is that you choose to put on your truck.

These NPR trucks have a 5.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, producing 140kW at 2600rpm and 513Nm at 1600-2600rpm. They’re also equipped with a six-speed manual or six-speed auto, and a part-time 4WD system with a high- and low-range transfer case.

Big, tough, and capable – what more could you want in an adventure machine?

Isuzu trucks are renowned for being easy to operate, comfortable and robust.

Iveco Daily 4x4

It may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the ultimate bush tourer, but in fact the Iveco Daily 4x4 has rock-solid off-road cred and more than twice the payload of a ute, so it certainly holds plenty of appeal as a 4WD adventure vehicle.

It’s well respected around the world as hard-working and the qualities that make it such an admired job-site champion – namely its durability and reliability – are directly transferable to adventure touring.

The Daily 4x4 is available with a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, producing 132kW at 3500prm and 430Nm at 1500rpm. Again, not massive figures but these trucks masterfully use what they have on tap.

It has a six-speed manual transmission (standard) or an eight-speed auto (optional). GVM and GCM are listed as 7000kg and 10,500kg respectively. Towing capacity is listed as 3500kg.

Okay, still not convinced? Read this yarn, written by a good mate of mine, world-renowned 4WD and truck expert Allan Whiting. My advice? Give that story the attention it deserves and then, if you like the idea of an Iveco, start hunting for a suitable example.

The Iveco Daily 4x4 has rock-solid off-road cred and more than twice the payload of a ute.

Earthcruiser Extreme 330 XTR6x6

Okay, it’s not technically a truck but the Earthcruiser Extreme 330 XTR6x6 is definitely truck-like and, geez, it’s well equipped and looks like a barrel of fun.

Based on the Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series, this touring truck has a genuine Toyota six-speed automatic transmission, or the standard manual gearbox with a fortified clutch. It also has a low-range transfer case.

The 6x6 conversion has been done by 6x6 Australia, who reckon their Bogie-drive 6×6 conversions “are designed simply to navigate challenging off-road locations, and carry and tow heavier payload and trailer masses with user-friendly ease, low-maintenance / economical capability, and in ultimate safety and comfort”.

And who are you to argue?

The Earthcruiser Extreme 330 XTR6x6 is definitely truck-like and well equipped. (Image: Marcus Craft)

This Earthcruiser has three differential locks (ARB air-lockers), portal axles (certified to 3000kg per axle), and a coil/airbag sprung Bogie-drive rear-axle set-up, with full load-sharing capability between each rear axle.

It has a 5.0-inch lift and a claimed 390mm of under-axle ground clearance.

When the vehicle’s airbag suspension is set at ride height, chassis clearance is a claimed 610mm. The Earthcruiser also has heavy-duty military-grade sway bars that can be disconnected from the cabin to greatly improve wheel travel when you’re 4WDing. 

The driver is able to inflate or deflate tyres from the cabin while the vehicle is on the move.

This Earthcruiser build looks to be equipped with everything you could ever want in a mobile home and more. (Image: Marcus Craft)

You can also rescue everyone because the Earthcruiser has two 13,000-pound 12-volt electric winches, front and rear.

This upgraded tourer has a listed 3000kg of payload, GVM of 7000kg, and 3500kg towing capacity.

Fuel capacity is 275 litres, so if a zombie apocalypse occurs, at least you can drive a fair distance away from trouble.

This Earthcruiser build looks to be equipped with everything you could ever want in a mobile home and more.

Visit www.earthcruiser.net.au for more details.

They may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but trucks really do have tons of cred as bush tourers.

What I reckon

Bigger is better if you’re considering loading a ton or more of people, pets and gear into a vehicle and going bush for an extended period of time.

And trucks offer plenty in terms of durability, reliability and load-carrying and/or towing flexibility.

They may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but trucks really do have tons of cred as bush tourers.

They’re far from ideal as daily drivers – because, by their very nature, they’re bigger and heavier than mainstream 4WD wagons and utes – but as purpose-built adventure vehicles they certainly deserve your attention.